Keynote: Mickey Smith Jr – “See the Sound”

Benton Convention Center
Salem Ballroom 2

Any teacher can know all the latest techniques, plan the greatest lessons, and implement effective classroom management strategies. But what is your “sound?” Your “sound” is your value as well as the unique personal significance you bring to the classroom. Maximizing your awareness and perspective in those you teach and seeing the “sound” in yourself is arguably the most important skill you can possess as a teacher. Without a strong sense of personal significance and emotional resilience, most teachers won’t stick around long enough in the profession to realize their potential and become not just teachers but phenomenal educators. In a profession that loses 50% of its workforce within the first five years of their careers, and with teacher shortage estimates in the hundreds of thousands yearly for qualified teachers, it is critical now more than ever to find new ways to encourage, equip, and empower teachers to fall in love with teaching. That starts by seeing the “sound.”